Donald Trump has only been the President of the United States for a few days, and the impact that has already been felt in America and around the world has been enormous. So much about America has already been drastically changed following the flurry of executive orders that Donald Trump signed on his first day in office. The message that Donald Trump has sent is that he would be prioritising his ‘America First’ agenda over everything else.
Donald Trump has made it clear that this ‘America First’ agenda will be pushed forward, even if it comes at the expense of America’s relationship with allies and its standing around the world. Trump has long complained about the trade deficits America has with the European Union, China and Canada, and is threatening these countries with Tariffs if they do not begin to buy more American products. During his speech at the World Economic Forum, he would continue to emphasise to the global business community the America First agenda he is pursuing.
Mixed in the flurry of executive orders signed by Donald Trump were two orders that will have major implications, directly and indirectly, on African nations. These orders were: The withdrawing of the United States from the World Health organisation and the suspending of US foreign aid shipments around the world. These executive actions signed by Donald Trump will have major ramifications for communities across the African continent.
The decision by Trump to withdraw from the World Health Organisation will likely affect Africa more than anywhere else. Over the last few decades now, the WHO has played an active role in combating the spread of disease across Africa. In 2006, the WHO was very active in combating the AIDS pandemic, with a very active role in Southern Africa, which had been majorly impacted by the spread of HIV.
Another example of the active role the WHO has played in tackling the Ebola outbreak in West Africa around 2016, especially in the DRC where it originated. Moreover, the World Health Organisation became an even more influential organisation all around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. And in more recent times, the WHO has played a major response to tackling the spread of Mpox in several African countries.
The United States has long been the largest contributor to the World Health Organisation. According to Statista, the United States contributed 1 billion US Dollars for the 2022-2023 biennium. In the directive issued by the White House, the Trump administration lamented the fact that the United States contributes significantly more to the World Health Organisation in comparison to other nations. The Trump administration would also slam the WHO for what it says is its inability to demonstrate independence from political influence of WHO member states.
Another major step the Trump administration has taken in its first few days, which would have a major effect on Africa, is the temporary halting of foreign aid shipments by the US. African countries are major recipients of such foreign aid, so this executive action will have a direct impact on the work done by aid groups operating across the continent which are dependent on those funds. The USAID budget for Africa is typically set at around 8 billion US Dollars, so a complete halt to that funding would have a major effect on communities that are dependent on aid deliveries.
It is still early days in the Trump administration, so it is not clear if this is the path Trump would like to take throughout his administration. We have already seen Trump float the idea of the US rejoining the World Health Organization, and the halting of aid shipments is a temporary measure that is set to last for 90 days. So it is very likely that the US would eventually reverse these decisions, likely with some kind of major changes that Trump would like to see implemented.
The unfortunate reality is that so many of our governments across Africa are simply too corrupt and self-serving to really tackle the issues facing our communities across the continent. As a result, it is often international bodies such as the WHO, USAID, the European Union and/or the United Nations that have to step in and fill in the gaps that have been left by our governments. It is unfortunate that so many of our communities are dependent on these foreign bodies, but that is just how it is.
As Africans, we are in no place to tell the United States government how it is supposed to spend its money. Donald Trump is pursuing his so-called ‘America First’ agenda, that is why we are seeing such major actions being taken. The real question is when would African leaders begin to take similar approaches aimed at improving the lives of the people they are supposed to be serving.
Rather than putting the national interests of their countries first, most African leaders put themselves first. Despite the high levels of poverty experienced by their constituents, most African elected African politicians use their positions of power in entirely self-serving ways. Our politicians live in luxury palaces and drive around in new modern vehicles that they purchase with the public funds that are supposed to be used to build our infrastructure.
The question of whether the US can still be a reliable partner for Africa should not be the main concern. Rather, the real question is when will finally get a leader across the continent that actually puts the needs of their constituents first? Or even second? Or third? Because the bigger concern should be about the fact that after decades of independence and self-governance, our countries are still so dependent on foreign aid coming from Western nations.
